Hidden
by Shadow's Whisper
Summary: Harry is abused, but when he is rescued he is led down the path of discovery.....
1. Author's Note

Author's Note  
  
Just before I start my story I would just like to say hi everyone and I hope you like this fanfiction as it is my first one.  
  
Please let me know what you think my reading it and reviewing it at the end.  
  
PS. I am English so if you are American, you may find that I spell or say things differently than you do. Don't worry though and if you actually don't understand something just let me know.  
  
Thankyou very much!!!!  
  
~ Shadow's Whisper ~ 


	2. Home Sweet Home

Chapter 1 - Home Sweet Home  
  
"Get in that cupboard this instant, and don't even think about coming out soon" Vernon's Voice bellowed after he roughly pushed Harry into the tiny space under the stairs.  
  
Harry put his hand up to his lip, which had started to bleed. Dudley and his gang had decided it would be fun to play a bit Harry Hunting again now the holidays had begun. He has managed to get away but only after receiving one well aimed punch from Peers. He had run all the way to the local park before deciding that they were no longer following him.  
  
When he had eventually returned to number 4 Privet Drive Uncle Vernon had thrown him into the cupboard for fighting, which Dudley had obviously told him about but omitting that it was actually him and his gang doing the actual fighting.  
  
He had been made to stay in the cupboard ever since he had arrived back and found out that Aunt Marge had been staying in his room whilst her house was having a renovation. What more could be possibly done to her house was beyond Harry, as the last time he had been there it had seemed it had everything that one person could possibly need.  
  
"Probably a new wing for Ripper", thought Harry thinking vividly about the dog that attempted to eat Harry every time he saw it.  
  
Talking about food, Harry was starving, having not eaten a decent meal since he had left Hogwarts, and even then he hadn't eaten that much. The grief of losing Sirius was just too much and knowing about what the Prophecy said had also not added much to his appetite.  
  
He could barely do anything since that night without thinking about it. Even his dreams suffocated him with his thoughts of knowing that it was his entire fault.  
  
He even thought about trying to end his life to escape the pain, but then he kicked himself. If he killed himself, even more deaths would be because of his doing. The prophecy said that he was the only one that could bring the Dark Lord's defeat, and so if he died no one would be able to kill Voldemort and therefore more people would die because of him.  
  
This thought alone was the only thing to stop him from killing himself.  
  
Aunt Petunia banged on his door whilst shouting that if he didn't come and eat his dinner now then he would get nothing.  
  
Harry made his way out of the cupboard and into the kitchen.  
  
He sat down to the left of Dudley, who, considering he had been on a diet for a while now, still took up on side of the table himself. He was already stuffing his face with what Aunt Petunia had given him and was asking for seconds. Aunt Petunia gave him more because she thought since it was diet food then there could be no harm giving him more, as he was still on the diet.  
  
Harry sighed as he looked down at his own plate of food. It was at least a quarter the size of Dudley's first portion and possibly a bit less. He ate it with a disgruntled look on his face. Uncle Vernon must have noticed.  
  
"Ungrateful boy", he shouted. "We feed you free of charge and you still find it in your power to give us dirty looks? Well, we will just see about that."  
  
Uncle Vernon then grabbed Harry, pulled him into the hall and shoved him back into the cupboard under the stairs. Closing it with a slam Uncle Vernon then shouted;  
  
"Now, stay in there until I give you permission to leave and be thankful that we even put up with you and your nonsense in the first place".  
  
With that, Harry heard him storming back into the kitchen and telling Aunt Petunia that he was a nuisance and that they shouldn't have to put up with him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Later on that evening Harry snuck out of the cupboard went to the bathroom and he had to do a double take as he went past his room. The door was slightly ajar and through it he noticed that it had been newly decorated. Instead of peeling wallpaper there was now a newly applied layer of Rose petal pink, the falling apart drawers and wardrobe had been replaced by a new set with polished surfaces and there was a new carpet laid on the floor.  
  
He stood gazing at it for what seemed like an hour before he heard the door on the car shutting and realizing that the Dursley's must have been back from dropping Aunt Marge back at her home.  
  
Hurriedly, forgetting all about going to the toilet he rushed back to the cupboard under the stairs, just as he was about to shut it, the door was wrenched from his hand and Harry was dragged out by the scruff of his collar.  
  
"What do you think you were doing?" Spat Uncle Vernon in his face. "I certainly hope that you have not left this cupboard since we took Marge home. Well?"  
  
"Nnnnn, no", stuttered Harry.  
  
"DDDDDaaaaadd", shouted Dudley from his bedroom. "Harry's broken my new video game".  
  
Harry's face instantly dropped. He knew that that video game Dudley had gotten for his birthday and been stomped on when Dudley couldn't get past the second level. He also knew what was about to happen. Uncle Vernon rounded on Harry.  
  
"I told you NOT-TO-LEAVE-THAT-CUPBOARD!!!" Uncle Vernon shouted, "time and time again I have to put up with your behaviour and time and time again you defy me. Well this time I am not putting up with it. Time to teach you some manners, you freak."  
  
Uncle Vernon reached for his belt and undid it, wrapped it around his hand and struck Harry with one fierce blow. He fell to the floor shocked at what was happening. He struck Harry again and again with the belt from all angles, most appearing on his back. Eventually, just as Harry was about to black out he stopped, picked him up and threw him back into his cupboard. Harry was burning from the pain. Every belt mark felt like it was burning into his skin. He just laid down and let the blackness wash over him. His misery continued into the night as he didn't have one single moment of sleep where it was just the - sleep. He was plagued with nightmares but his time they included many ones that he had not had before.  
  
He saw Uncle Vernon beating him up with his fists and him, Harry just lying there in a pool of his own blood before once again being picked up and thrown in to his cupboard. The pain was unreal and even competed for pain with the Cruciatus curse.  
  
Harry had gone deathly pale, and anyone looking at him now would think he had died a horrendous death from the pure look of pain on his face. 


	3. The Morning After

Author's Note: Thank you to those of you that have reviewed, please do so again!!!  
  
Kemenran and Gene: Here is more!!!  
  
angelkitty77: It did that to me as well. When I had put the AN and Chapter 1 up I could only see the AN. But it is working now.  
  
Angel74: I hadn't even noticed the ratings before, but thank you. I have now changed it to PG13, I hope that it OK.  
  
Well here is chapter 2. I hope you like it and I know it is still a bit short but I think the chapters will get longer as they go along. Please read and review.  
  
~Shadow's Whisper~  
  
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Chapter 2 - The Morning After  
  
Harry woke up to Aunt Petunia rapping on his door.  
  
"Get up now boy, I have a list of things for you to do today, and you will be working until you have finished it all."  
  
Harry groaned and sat up and instantly a wave of nausea and pain coursed his body and he remembered the night before. Slowly he reached for his glasses and placed them on to his nose. His shirt was covered in blood and through the holes in his trousers he could see large purple and yellow bruises.  
  
He cursed and took his shirt off. There were large red marks and bruises covering most of his stomach and his back he could feel scabs where he had been hit so many times that the belt had split open his skin. He pulled a clean shirt on and went to the kitchen.  
  
As soon as he set foot in the kitchen, Aunt Petunia thrust a list in front of his nose and told him to get started. "And I want it done today for your Uncle's guest tomorrow and you won't get any food until it is done. Understand?"  
  
"Yes Aunt Petunia," Harry grumbled through his split lip from the encounter with Dudley's gang the day before.  
  
He took the list glanced at it and walked stiffly outside into the garden. There seemed to be thousands of things on the list, and most didn't seem to look like they would be short tasks.  
  
"May as well start at the top" he muttered to himself as he walked over to the shed to get the lawn mower out. After plugging it he started to mow. After that he painted the shed in the sickliest looking green he had ever seen, weeded the flowerbeds, planted new flowers and re-varnished the table and chairs.  
  
Chancing a glance through the kitchen window, Harry was relieved to see that Aunt Petunia wasn't there. He quickly walked over and had a look at the clock on the back wall of the kitchen.  
  
It was 2.30pm and he had yet to do inside of the house. He groaned and rubbed his aching back, remembering at the last moment the lashes camouflaging his back. He winced in pain thoroughly hoping that they would heal before he went back to school. He didn't even want to think about how we would explain it if one of his room mates saw.  
  
Harry want back over to his workstation and tidied up the gardening equipment and being careful of the newly applied paint he put them back into the shed. He then took the bags of fallen leaves and weeds around the side of the house to the dustbins. He traipsed back over to the house and through the back door into the kitchen, wiping his feet before entering.  
  
Uncle Vernon looked up from his Saturday paper, which he was reading at the kitchen table. He looked down a t the floor then back up to Harry's face.  
  
"Wipe your feet boy, you're trekking mud through the house," he spat, and then with an after thought, he added, " and don't forget to tell those 'friends' of yours that everything is fine, I don't want them storming in here tomorrow looking for you when I am entertaining my guest."  
  
With that he got up and left the kitchen. The 'friends' he was talking about were of course those in the Order who had made him promise at the end of last term to write to them every three days to tell them if he was OK and if he wasn't, what was the matter.  
  
He went over to the fridge and quickly, before anyone was to see him helping himself to food, and got out some bits oh ham and bread, before going upstairs and into the attic.  
  
This was where Hedwig, Harry's beloved snowy owl, had resided since he had been kicked out of his bedroom, to live under the stairs. There was barely enough room for him to stay in the cupboard let alone a snowy owl the size of Hedwig, so he thought that the best place for Hedwig to stay would be the attic, because this had plenty of room and she wouldn't be disturbed, as the Dursley's rarely came up here.  
  
She had free roam of the whole attic, which meant that Harry didn't have to keep her locked up in her cage, which she was very grateful for. He had also found away of propping the sky light open enough so that she could fly outside when ever she wanted.  
  
"Still no mail then, Hedwig?" Since Harry had gotten home from Hogwarts he had had about 3 e-mails which were all from the Order making sure that everything was fine and asking how he was coping with Sirius' death.  
  
He walked over to where Hedwig was perching and let her nip his finger in the affectionate way Harry had got quite used to. He emptied the food he had retrieved from the fridge and emptied it into her bowl. She hooted gratefully.  
  
He slumped down on the floor, wincing once again when his back scraped down the wall. Hedwig eyed him suspiciously.  
  
"I'm fine Hedwig, get back onto your food," with a final cautious look she returned to her bowl. Harry began to write. ~  
  
Dear Remus,  
  
Just to let you know that I'm fine.  
  
~ He paused, unsure of the reason why he was lying to his father's best friend and also a very close friend of his. Virtually every night now, Harry had nightmares. They varied on topics but most were about all the people he had let down in his life.  
  
He relived his parents' deaths, who still would be alive if Harry hadn't been born. Cedric's death returned with new vengeance, if only Harry hadn't made him take the cup with him, and of course Sirius. The death Harry most blamed on himself, his own stupidity led to his death.  
  
Silent tears rolled down his face.  
  
He finished writing the letter, rolled it up and went back over to Hedwig who was waiting expectantly. She held out her leg and Harry attached the letter.  
  
"Thank you Hedwig, to Remus. OK?" She gave a soft hoot of reassurance and flew out of the window.  
  
Harry watched her until she was out of view and then slowly descended the stairs, to find a very angry looking Uncle Vernon waiting for him at the bottom. He froze.  
  
"I have just been outside to take a look at you last chore, just to find what a state you have made of the garden," Uncle Vernon began to shout loudly now. "Those new flowers I planted in the spring that cost a lot of money have been either dug up or completely RUINED!"  
  
Uncle Vernon once again grabbed Harry by the scruff of the collar and pulled him down on to the floor. He had been very near to the top of the ladders, so when he landed on the landing his ankle twisted and he clearly heard a loud snap. Pain coursed up his leg, and he knew instantly that his ankle had been broken.  
  
Uncle Vernon didn't stop there.  
  
As he lay on the floor he began to kick Harry continuously in the stomach, the pain was immense and blood started to dribble out of his mouth. He then grabbed him, pulled him off the floor and threw him at the wall where he collapsed and fell down the stairs. Where he instantly blacked out. 


	4. Arrival

Chapter 3 – Arrival 

It was the final task in the Triwizard tournament. Cedric was there, just ahead of him. He was about to take the cup. Harry desperately tried to move, to get closer to Cedric, to stop him touching the cup.

Frantically crawling and scrabbling on the ground, wincing all the time from the pain in his leg, Harry tried to get closer. He had to stop Cedric. He had to. His leg was throbbing from when he had been attacked but it didn't stop him. He needed to get to Cedric, but no matter how fast he was going, it didn't seem to matter. He wasn't getting anywhere. 

Cedric reached for the cup.

"Nnnnoooooo", screamed Harry, trying desperately to stand on his injured leg to get to Cedric faster, before falling to the ground.

It was too late. Cedric grabbed the cup and although he was nowhere near to the cup, Harry felt the familiar tugging of a portkey behind his navel. He felt like he was spinning for an eternity before the feeling of solid ground came up to meet him and instantly sending him to the floor as his injured leg collapsed beneath him.

He had to get Cedric out of here; he was going to be killed any moment now. He frantically searched around him, seeing neither hide nor hair of him. That was when he heard it. Those familiar haunting words;

"Kill the spare", and he saw Cedric's body fall in front of him, dead. He just stared. How could he have let it happen again. He killed him again.

His nightmares continued that night and the following day before they finally relented, and then it was just black.

It was two days after the incident with uncle Vernon before Harry showed any signs of stirring.

He groggily opened his eyes. He didn't need to move this time to feel any pain, it was already coursing through his body. He was having great difficulty in breathing and his vision was swimming in front of him. Partially due to the fact he was wearing no glasses and partially due to the fact he had a massive headache, so much that he couldn't concentrate properly.

He heard voices close by. He tried to fell around the space he was in, to get his bearings. His hand came across something very sharp and he withdrew his hand very quickly as he felt it cut open his hand, but it had stayed there long enough to realise what it had been. It was the lawn mower. 

What was the lawn mower doing in his cupboard? That was when he suddenly realised that he must be in the shed. The voices were coming from the garden.

One, he could definitely tell, belonged to his Aunt. The high-pitched, superior tone could belong to no other. The other voice he could not recognise.

"I am very sorry for being late, as I told you on the phone last night, my sister had to go to hospital, she cut herself quite severely when she was preparing her tea."

Harry realised that his Aunt must be talking to his Uncles guest. Why was he making excuses for being late? Wait, what day was it, how long had he been unconscious?

"Don't worry Mr Grale, it was no problem for us, I just hope your sister is OK."

"She'll be fine and call me Quentin, may I call you Petunia?"

"Of course you can Quentin, here let me show you the rest of the garden otherwise we will be standing her all day."

"I must say Petunia; it looks marvellous. Did you do all this by your self? It seems too much for one person to do."

"Thank you, and yes, I did do it by myself."

Harry started to get angry at this, all that effort and work he had done to make the garden look like it did know, and getting punished my Uncle Vernon when he was told it was not up to standards, and here goes Aunt Petunia to take all of the glory. Why couldn't, for once in their lives give praise to where it is deserved?

Harry tried to get up. As he raised himself by his arm, pain shot through his body making Harry fell like all his nerve endings were on fire. He fell back down to the floor with a loud thump. He would just have to wait for someone to get him, because there was no way he was going to leave this shed by his own accord.

"What was that? It sounded like it came from the shed." Quentin said, obviously responding to Harry's shuffles and thumps.

"Oh, oh, nothing," Petunia started mumbling very hurriedly. "It is probably one of Vernon's shelves falling off the wall. He is so bad at DIY, I don't know why I ever trusted him to put the up in the first place. Nothing to worry about. Come along now, tea will be ready very soon."

Quentin gave a half hearted 'sure' before Harry heard them going back into the house and the backdoor closing.

He relaxed once more, if he was going to get out of here, he needed a plan.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

It was growing dark outside before Harry heard any more movement since earlier that day, he struggled to catch his breath, as he edged further away from the door, frightened of who ever it might be. He heard the back door opening and closing and footsteps carefully making themselves over to the shed.

There was a click of the key turning in the lock on the shed door. Harry had the right to be nervous, as when the door was pulled open, a very furious looking Uncle Vernon stepped into the enclosed space.

He towered over Harry's crumpled body on the floor. On seeing the look on his Uncle's face, Harry frantically tried searching from his position on the floor, for something to help protect himself. However, there was nothing within his reach. His Uncle began to speak.

"You mangy little excuse for a human being!!" Uncle Vernon whispered, although more to do with not wanting unnecessary attention then to be quiet. Harry could tell he was keeping himself from shouting. "We put you in here to keep you out of the way of my guest, and what do you go and do? Hhmm? You try to disturb his time here."

He then kicked Harry very forcefully in the stomach, making Harry roll away, putting more pressure on his lungs. He started wheezing and gasping for breath. He was sure to pass out at any moment.

"And another thing, if I here another peep out of you, you'll regret you were ever born. You will stay in here until Mr Grale departs next week, and then, and only then, will I even consider letting you back into the house."

He then left, mumbling that he would get one meal a day delivered to him in the shed.

The lock of the door clicked back, and Harry, was once more, left alone.

He was desperately trying to get up, to get out of this shed. If he stayed in there, he would surely die. He knew he was in no condition to move, but what else could he do? He could easily tell the extent of the damage done to his body without having to visit any kind of doctor. Muggle or wizarding.

He definitely has several broken bones, he was bruised and swollen all over his body and breathing was becoming increasingly difficult, making Harry certain he had a rib or two puncturing his lung.

He tried again to raise himself off the floor. What was wrong with his legs? He just couldn't move them. He tried pinching them, he didn't even feel it. He tried moving his toes. He was panicking now. He realised what must be wrong with them. He was paralysed. Waist down.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Thank you to all of my reviewers. I very much appreciate them, especially those that gave me suggestions. Suggestions and ideas are always very welcome, because it is sometimes very hard to think of things for your self. Please review and if you suggest anything I will think about incorporating it into my story.

 Also I am looking for a beta reader. Preferably one that will be a very active idea giver. Not one that just checks my spelling.

**~ Shadow's Whisper ~**


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